New in the shop: shoe, pedal, helmet — and why they belong together
Four things have arrived here over the past few weeks that seem to have little to do with one another: a road helmet, a road shoe, a flat pedal and a trail shoe. In fact they are two pairs — and both only work properly because they were built for each other.
For the road: Lazer Sphere and the RC5
The Sphere is a helmet by Lazer, and the name means little to most people around here. That is a shame, because Lazer is the oldest helmet company in the world — founded in Belgium in 1919. Since 2016 it has belonged to Shimano. That is why helmet and shoes sit on the same shelf with us.
Its clever part is called KinetiCore. Inside sit blocks of EPS foam that give way deliberately on impact — crumple zones, as in a car. They absorb the straight blow and also the rotational forces that reach the brain in a crash. No extra liner is needed for this; the protection sits in the shell itself.
Add to that a large front vent with a floating headband, the TurnSys adjustment dial at the back, a dock for your glasses and a mount for a rear light. In size M it weighs 270 grams.
The RC5 alongside it is Shimano's sensible answer in a road shoe: a BOA L6 dial you can adjust while riding, and a carbon-reinforced midsole with a low stack height. Low means the foot sits closer to the pedal axle, and what you put in arrives at the other end. Upper of synthetic leather and breathable TPU mesh.
For the trail: XT flat pedal and the GF800
The new Deore XT PD-M8240 has a platform that is concave in both directions — 112 by 109 millimetres, so the foot sits in a hollow rather than on a board. Ten pins per side, plus two further positions further in for anyone who wants more hold. The pedal body is thinner than its predecessor: that lowers the stack height and catches on rocks less often.
What we like about it as a workshop: this pedal is meant to be rebuilt. Spare parts are available individually, and the right tool for the pins comes in the box. A pedal you overhaul after two seasons rather than throw away.
The GF800 is the shoe to go with it, and this is where it gets interesting. Its sole is called ULTREAD GF and carries a honeycomb pattern. That is not styling: the hexagons are worked out around the pins, and the rubber rebounds slowly on purpose. It gives way under the pin and holds it, instead of pushing it back out. Add a BOA closure with a pull tab over the forefoot, the TORBAL 2.0 midsole that lets the heel twist without the shoe going soft, and an asymmetrically raised ankle collar for the rock strikes you do not see coming.
Why we put them out in pairs
A flat pedal is only as good as the shoe on it. Bolt a good pedal under a trainer sole and the money is out of the window — the pins find no hold, and the foot creeps a little further with every hit. The other way round, the best trail shoe achieves nothing on a flat platform without pins.
That is exactly why these things stand side by side with us. And why it is worth trying both together, rather than ordering two parts online that have never met.
Come and see
All four are here in the shop. The shoes can be tried on, and with the pedal we are happy to show what the difference between concave and flat actually feels like. If you are unsure which sole suits your riding, just ask us — that is what we are here for.
